What This Actress Did Has Liberals Going Crazy

Patricia Heaton is best known for her performances on sitcoms like “Everybody Loves Raymond” and the current ABC hit “The Middle.”

Off camera, however, she is one of the most outspokenly conservative, unabashedly Christian actresses currently working in Hollywood. Those values are on display in her latest vehicle, the comedy film “Mom’s Night Out.”

In addition to starring in the motion picture, Heaton serves as executive producer. The storyline revolves around a stay-at-home mom looking for a night away from the kids and is portrayed from a decidedly Christian viewpoint.

As one might expect, leftist movie critics had plenty to disparage in such a package.

Justin Change of Variety called the movie a “shrill feature-length sitcom for the faith-based family-values crowd,” alleging the result is “nowhere near as good as that sounds.”

The Globe and Mail was even harsher, with its review giving the film a one-star rating and ripping apart virtually every aspect of the storyline.

Advertisement - story continues below

Kate Taylor questions why the central character “doesn’t just hire a nanny, find a job and get out of the house.”

Furthermore, she lambastes the “Christian movie” for “preaching.”

A few of the key descriptors used by RogerEbert.com critic Christy Lemire include “regressive,” “dangerous,” and “archaic.”

Despite the harsh reviews of some mainstream outlets, however, the low-budget film grossed more than $4.3 million during its opening weekend and is on track to make a serious profit. For comparison, “Mom’s Night Out” beat the big-budget “Amazing Spider-Man 2” in the apples-to-apples comparison of revenue per screen.

A full 85 percent of viewers liked the movie, according to its Rotten Tomatoes review; and IMDB.com reports a 7/10 cumulative rating.

In all likelihood, the reason for its success is that audiences remain hungry for movies that reflect their own sensibilities. Tired of motion pictures – even kids’ films – that portray an obvious leftist message, conservatives flock to well-made movies that can entertain without offending.

Director Jon Erwin said the word on the street reveals a much different opinion than some critics’ take on the movie.

Also coming to Heaton’s defense is a fellow conservative actress who has also come under fire for her beliefs. Stacey Dash ripped those who take such a myopic view of motherhood in a series of tweets she posted recently.

If you want to see sexism, read some of the “critics” “reviews” of #MomsNightOut! They insult every stay-at-home mom in the US #Twits